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Schmelzle Hot Shoe at Snow Shoe!
Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit
Round 7: Snow Shoe Enduro
Grand Junction CO | August 13, 2006
By George Pennington
Set on the 8000' Uncompahgre Plateau, atop the desert of the Grand Junction region, the annual Bookcliff Rattlers M/C's, Snow Shoe Enduro course featured a combination of fast and technical singletrack, weaving through the Aspens and Pines, while interspersed with enough two-track and road sections to keep the pace moving quickly all day. Resets were reserved for getting back on time and rest stops or repair opportunities were sparse. Recent rains kept dust to minimum in the forest sections, though some of the road sections could be a bit dicey at speed. The Snow Shoe downhill, from which the race gets its name, was in prime shape today. About a mile long, the steep, sandy hill features a winding, v-grooved trail, punctuated with a large selection of rocks in varying shapes and sizes. Those who are comfortable with these conditions can excel, those who are not, well they littered the trail with bikes and bodies, taking points and adding obstacle to those behind!
In a "ground-hog day" repeat of last year, Ron Schmelzle once again overcame burning the first check of the day to top Bernie Frederick for the AA and overall win. " I just didn't know where I was" stated Schmelzle, " I was way off at the 2.9 and behind, so I couldn't stop, I was just trying to get on time and ended up being early". "At that point I knew I had to gas it, as Bernie (Frederick) was pushing me and I was already two points behind!" The push from Frederick was apparently motivating for the Davis Cycles sponsored, YZ125 mounted Schmelzle as he overcame his initial handicap to post an eight point overall score to the 11 points dropped of Frederick who hung on for second overall.
Mangled toes couldn't wipe the smile off of Billy Radecky's face. Visibly pumped after finishing third overall, first 4-Stroke A, the KX250F rider hobbled through the pits, a victim of a hidden stump or rock in the final test section. The blow came too late to slow Radecky, who finished on 13 points, making him the filling in a AA sandwich as Mart Geary and Bret Dooley rounded out the top five overall.
Matt Larson topped the Open A's, finishing sixth overall, a point better than Jim Koch who rode a Yamaha to the top of the 250 A class. After playing bridesmaid most of the season, Bryce Bingham pulled it together today to top the 200 A's aboard a KTM125SX, beating perennial class leader, Ian Blythe and his YZ125 by a point.
Keeping his winning streak alive at five in a row, Allan Phillips rode his Yamaha to the top spot in the B's while snagging another 250cc win today, a full 11 points ahead of 2nd 250 B rider Clint Jones. Dan Daily topped the Super Senior B's, again, at second overall B. Daily has not finished worse than second this year and seems a shoe-in for the championship as the season begins it's final leg. Ray Barnard horsed his Honda to third overall, first Open B, while Tom Cope topped the Senior C's at fourth overall.
Colt Jones topped the C's, piloting his 250cc KTM to an eight point score, edging ahead of a threesome of riders hot on his heels at nine points dropped. Separated by tie-breaker seconds, Daniel Jones topped Ben Bradford for the Sportsman win and second overall, while Mark Dykema rounded out the nine pointers with a win in the 4-Stroke C's. Christian and Aaron Faatz, riding their fourth and first enduros respectively, finished first and second Vet C's with 10 points dropped.
Return to Off-Road
Results:
O/A: 1. Ron Schmelzle (Yam); 2. Bernie Frederick (Yam); 3. Billy Radecky (Kaw); 4. Mart Geary
(Yam); 5. Bret Dooley (Gas); 6. Matt Larson (Yam); 7. Jim Koch (Yam); 8. Jeremy Henley
(Yam); 9. Bryce Bingham (KTM); 10. Scott Bright (KTM)
AA: 1. Ron Schmelzle (Yam); 2, Bernie Frederick (Yam); 3. Mart Geary (Yam); 4. Bret Dooley
(Gas); 5. Jeremy Henley (Yam)
200 A: 1. Bryce Bingham (KTM); 2. Ian Blythe (Yam); 3. Nicole Bradford (Yam); 4. Mike Diesburg
(KTM)
250 A: 1. Jim Koch (Yam); 2. John Little (Gas); 3. Tyler Anderson (Kaw)
Open A: 1. Matt Larson (Yam); 2. Brett Craig (KTM); 3. David Schadle (KTM); 4. Brad Duvalle
(KTM)
4-Stk.A: 1. Billy Radecky (Kaw); 2. Scott Bright (KTM); 3. Lance Bross (Kaw); Jose Armesto
(KTM); 5. Scot Stretch (Hon)
Vet A: 1. Paul Nafziger (KTM); 2. Cory Schmidt (KTM); 3. Ross Rhode (Yam); 4. Rusty Davis
(Kaw); 5. Todd Harrison (Maico); 6. Grant Palenske (Hon)
Sen. A: 1. Mike Thuillier (KTM); 2. Rob Weiher (Yam); 3. George Pennington (KTM); Donald
Miller (KTM); 5. Gary Miller (Suz)
200 B: 1. Traci Schallow (KTM)
250 B: 1. Allan Phillips (Yam); 2. Clint Jones (Yam); 3. Morgan Spradling (KTM); 4. Daniel
Donaldson (Yam); 5. Tyler Heggie (Yam)
Open B: 1. Ray Barnard (Hon); 2. Tim Hughes (Hon); 3. Don Crum (KTM); 4. Len Wunderwald
(Hon);
4-Stk. B: 1. Brady VanMatre (Yam); 2. Hod Hutchison (Yam); 3. Jason Carlisle (KTM);
Mike Whaley (KTM); 5. Casey Torres (KTM)
Vet B: 1. Dave Anderson (KTM); 2. Scott Carter (Kaw); 3. David Fowle (KTM);
Sen. B: 1. Tom Cope (Yam); 2. Stan Young (KTM); 3 John Ryan (KTM); 4. Chuck Ginsberg
(KTM)
S.Sen.B: 1. Dan Dailey (Yam); 2. Floyd Stretch (Hon); 3. Greg Gibson (KTM); 4. Ed Beaumont
(Hon); 5. Dennis Donaldson (Hon)
200 C: 1. Ricky VanDuyn (Yam); 2. Jamie Fortman (KTM); 3. Adam Krefting (Hon); 4. Kimberly
VanDuyn (Yam)
250 C: 1. Colt Jones (KTM); 2. Billy Innis (HBG); 3. Justin Visser (KTM); 4. Brandon Wilkes
(KTM); 5. Matt Kipferl (Hon)
Open C: 1. Richard Walker 9Hon); 2. Jim Siffring (Yam); 3. Kyle Green (KTM); 4. Briant Grossi
(Yam); 5. Jeffery Mascri (KTM)
Sportsman: 1. Daniel Jones (KTM); 2. Ben Bradford (Kaw); 3. Robert Mooney (Yam); Marisa
Silverman (Yam); 5. Barry Schaffer (Suz)
Vet C: 1. Christian Faatz (Suz); Aaron Faatz (Kaw); 3. Delbert Bostock (Yam); 4. Johnny Cross
(Hon); 5. James Robinson (Yam)
Sen. C: 1. Dan Butler (Yam); 2. Sam Wisecup (Hon); 3. Don James (KTM); 4. Larry Jamison
(KTM): 5. Mike Noel (Hon)
S.Sen. C: 1. Jim Ruffer (Hon); 2. Bob McDowell (Yam); 3. Don Frazier (KTM); 4. David Boening
(Yam); 5. Dave Sorenson (KTM)
Sup. 60: 1. Ed Kistler (KTM); 2. Marv Donaldson (Hon)
Under16: 1. Kyle Schafer (Hon)
Ladies: 1. Ashley Walker (KTM); 2. Shawn Stretch (Hon); 3. Allison Wilkes (Hon)